280 F.

2d 52

UNITED STATES of America, Appellee,

v.
INTERSTATE DRESS CARRIERS, INC., Appellant.
No. 363, Docket 26166.

United States Court of Appeals Second Circuit.

Argued June 6, 1960.
Decided June 24, 1960.

Louis Bender, New York City, for appellant.

Henry Geller, Washington, D.C. (Robert A. Bicks, Acting Asst. Atty.
Gen., and Richard A. Solomon, Department of Justice, Washington, D.C.
on the brief), for appellee.
Before LUMBARD, Chief Judge, and CLARK and FRIENDLY, Circuit
Judges.
LUMBARD, Chief Judge.

The single question presented by this appeal is whether Rule 6(e) of the Federal
Rules of Criminal Procedure, 18 U.S.C.A., prohibits a government agency,
authorized by statute to examine the financial records of persons subject to
regulation by it, from inspecting these records when they are being held under
a federal grand jury subpoena duces tecum. We agree with the district court that
such inspection does not constitute a 'disclosure of matters occurring before the
grand jury' proscribed by Rule 6(e) and we therefore affirm the order granting
leave to inspect the records.

Appellant, Interstate Dress Carriers, Inc. (Interstate), is a trucking company

subject to the provisions of the Motor Carrier Act of 1935, 49 U.S.C.A. 301327. Section 320(d) of that Act1 authorizes the Interstate Commerce
Commission and its representatives 'at all times' to inspect and copy the
financial accounts and other records of persons subject to its provisions and
requires such persons to submit their accounts and records for examination.
Under the authority of this subsection the ICC sought access to certain of

Interstate's records in connection with an investigation as to the completeness

and accuracy of Interstate's reports concerning its finances and business affairs.
Interstate was unable to comply with this request because the records had
previously been subpoenaed by a federal grand jury in the Southern District of
New York and were in the custody of the Justice Department pursuant to the
subpoena. In order that the ICC might inspect the records without awaiting their
release by the grand jury and their return to the possession of Interstate, the
Justice Department applied to the district court for leave to permit the ICC's
representatives to examine and make copies of the subpoenaed records.
Interstate opposed the application. It argued-- unsuccessfully-- that disclosure
of the records to the ICC would (1) infringe upon the secrecy of the grand jury
process in violation of Rule 6(e) and (2) abrogate the right of one whose
records have been subpoenaed by a grand jury to object to their improper
disclosure to third parties by permitting inspection of the records without the
knowledge or consent of their owner.
3

Rule 6(e)2 embodies a long established policy of the federal courts to maintain
the secrecy of grand jury proceedings. See United States v. Procter & Gamble
Co., 1958, 356 U.S. 677, 681, 78 S.Ct. 983, 2 L.Ed.2d 1077. Though the
reasons for the policy are many, see United States v. Rose, 3 Cir., 1954, 215
F.2d 617, 628-629, the Rule is intended only to protect against disclosure of
what is said or what takes place in the grand jury room. Documents as well as
oral testimony of course may come within its proscription against disclosure.
See, e.g., In re April 1956 Term Grand Jury, 7 Cir., 1956, 239 F.2d 263.
However, it is not the purpose of the Rule to foreclose from all future
revelation to proper authorities the same information or documents which were
presented to the grand jury. Thus, when testimony or data is sought for its own
sake-- for its intrinsic value in the furtherance of a lawful investigation-- rather
than to learn what took place before the grand jury, it is not a valid defense to
disclosure that the same information was revealed to a grand jury or that the
same documents had been, or were presently being, examined by a grand jury.
In the Matter of Hearings before the Committee on Banking and Currency of
the United States Senate, D.C.N.D.Ill.1956, 19 F.R.D. 410; State v. Kemp,
1928, 124 Conn. 639, 1 A.2d 761.

In the present case the inspection sought by the ICC will in no way impinge
upon the secrecy of the grand jury's deliberations. The representatives of the
ICC do not seek to learn what use the grand jury has made of appellant's
records. They wish only to inspect and copy the records, which happen to be in
the control of the grand jury, for their own lawfully authorized investigation.
No question of the 'disclosure of matters occurring before the grand jury' is
therefore involved and Rule 6(e) does not prohibit the examination.

Permitting the ICC to inspect the records of appellant does not impair the
appellant's right as owner of documents held under grand jury subpoena to
object to their disclosure to third parties if he believes the disclosure to be
unlawful. Documents produced pursuant to a grand jury subpoena remain the
property of the person producing them, see Application of Bendix Aviation
Corp., D.C.S.D.N.Y.1945, 58 F.Supp. 953; Matter of Randall, 1903, 87
App.Div. 245, 84 N.Y.S. 294, and their inspection by persons other than the
grand jury and the prosecuting attorneys is therefore dependant upon the
consent of the owner or upon a court order. In the event the owner is unwilling
to give his consent, the legal right of the third party to inspect the documents
may be tested in the proceeding to obtain leave from the court for the
examination, just as happened in this case. See In the Matter of Hearings
Before the Committee on Banking and Currency of the United States Senate,
supra. The court is required in each case to determine whether independent
legal authority for the inspection exists, as well as deciding whether the
examination sought would be in violation of Rule 6(e). Here there can be no
doubt of the authority of the ICC under 320(d) of the Motor Carrier Act to
inspect appellant's records, and, as discussed above, the inspection will not
impinge upon the secrecy of the grand jury proceedings.

Order affirmed.

Section 320(d) states in part:

'The Commission or its duly authorized special agents, accountants, or
examiners shall at all times * * * have authority to inspect and copy any and all
accounts, books, records, memoranda, correspondence, and other documents of
such carriers. * * * Motor carriers * * * shall submit their accounts, books,
records, memoranda, correspondence, and other documents for the inspection
and copying authorized by this subsection * * * to any duly authorized special
agent, accountant, or examiner of the Commission upon demand and the
display of proper credentials.'

Rule 6(e) provides in part:

'Disclosure of matters occurring before the grand jury other than its
deliberations and the vote of any juror may be made to the attorneys for the
government for use in the performance of their duties. Otherwise a juror,
attorney, interpreter or stenographer may disclose matters occurring before the
grand jury only when so directed by the court preliminarily to or in connection
with a judicial proceeding or when permitted by the court at the request of the

defendant upon a showing that grounds may exist for a motion to dismiss the
indictment because of matters occurring before the grand jury. No obligation of
secrecy may be imposed upon any person except in accordance with this rule.'